The pensioner was led to safety by firefighters after the blaze broke out in the kitchen of the semi-detached home in Slaters Place, Walsall, just after 4pm on Tuesday.

The man was given oxygen at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital as a precaution.

Mick Birch, of West Midlands Fire Service, hailed the rescue as a “real success story” after the man alerted emergency services using a special alarm given to him as part of a fire safety service for the over-80s set up by the fire service and Walsall Council.